Method and apparatus for the aligning of type carriers



July 3l, 1928. 1,678,694

A. A. EGLI METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ALIGNING OF TYPE CARRIERS AFiled Mann 25. 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 July 31, 192s. 1,678,694

A. A. EGLI METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ALIGNING OF TYPE CARRIERS FiledMarch 25. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 f iff/7 j In vena.

Patented July 31, 1928'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARNOLD AUGUST EGLI, 0F HAMBURG, GERMANY, .ASSIG'NOIB' TO CHOCGLAT TOBLERHOLDING CO., AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, 0F SCHAFFHAUSEN, SWITZERLAND.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ALIGNING oF TYPE CARRIERS.

Application il'ed March 25, 1926, Serial No. 97,302, and in GermanyApril 2, 1925.

This invention relates to a method and apparatusl forv the aligning oftype carriers assembled to form a line of type especially a justifiedline of type. The assembling of the type carriers to form a line may beperformed in any suitable manner such as by means of a typewritingmachine or a type-setting and printing machine or a type-` setting andcasting machine.

The invention consists primarily in restricting the movability ofthetype Carriers to a certain extent, aligning the type carriers in theirrestricted inovability and the-n positively pressing thetype 'carrierstogether. The extent of the restricting of the movability is such, thatthe aligning of the line formed by the type carriers may be performedwithout an essentially greater eX- pense of power, while the typecarriers are prevented from moving with respect to each other during thefollowing treatment of the line such as justifying; the justifyingpreferably is performed by shortening the line to the desired length,whereby the primary length of the line is made greater than required byenlarging the distance between each two words and/or between each twotype carriers.

A justifying device adapted to perform this method of justifying is moreparticu-- larly described in Letters Patent 1,608,017 dated November'23, 1926. The method for aligning type carriers assembled to forma lineby means of the above mentioned justifyin g device especially isperformed by firstly restricting the movability of the type carriers byshortening the line to a certain extent, then aligning the shortenedline and then further shortening the set up liner to its definitivelength. The word typev carriers means carriers of patrices, matrices,type bars with one or more characters andthe like. When the typecarriers are to be inked with colours by means of inking rollers or thelike it is allowable in any case to effect the final inking after thejustifying of the line. If an aligning means is employed which isreciprocating at each aligningoperation parallel to the direction of thelines the inking mechanism mayy advantageously follow the spacing means.and at least after the final closing of the line may again be guidedfirmly over the line.. The preliminary closlng may for example beensured by providing yielding tension or compression means in thedevices which bring together the closing device to the desired length ofline.

Hereby excessive strain or even destroying of the closing device isprevented, which otherwise wou-ld occur if for instance more typecarriers have been introduced into the device than necessary, so thatthe set up line is longer than admissiblewith respect -to its latershortening.

The moving of the closing device may be effected by means of a drivingwheel adapted to be coupled with a constantly running motor or to beturned otherwise. The driving mechanism for example. ma be like thatdescribed in the pending app ication Serial Nok 628,514, filed March 29,1923.

The inking roller preferably receives its ink from an ink distributingdevice as described in the pending application Serial No. 628,514, filedMarch 29, 1923l for grinding fat colours..

They device. according to my invention 1s able to work in only threephases and in less than onev second.

The invention is. illustrated by way of example in the: accompanyingdrawings in which.:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation partially in section of adevice according to the invention.`

Figure 2 is; a. plan thereof, and

Figure 3 a view from the left of Figure 2.

Fig. t shows a spacing member;

In the drawing A.z denotes a ratchet wheel which can be coupled to asource of power suchV as a continuously rotating electric motor andwhich then rotates in the direction of the arrow shown.

The wheel A2 is provided with a partially eccentric` groove A6, which isengaged by a projection VSt of a double armed lever St1 pivotallymounted in the machine at P. The other end of said lever is shaped inthe form of' a fork adapted to receive a pin Q, on a wheel Stg. Thiswheel is only toothed on a part of its: circumference and adapted to bebrought with its toothed partv intoy engagement with. the ratchet wheelA2. On the wheel St, an arm St3 isV fastened,` which is pivotallyconnected to a bar SQ.. The. latter is fastenedv to.` a bar' St5crossing the machine and: adapted to be, moved in the direction of arrowR. St,3 isa rod carrying a series of small levers S2512 and engaging apusher Sto.. H12 is a magazine adapted to be moved into differentheights and containing a plurality of type-carriers, each provided witha series of characters. The type-carriers preferably are formed bytype-bars as shown at Y21 (Fig. l). The magazine also contains the wellknown spacing members, one of which being shown in Fig. 4 and consistingof a strip of metal w provided with a flat spring The flat spring Z) isfastened at one side of the strip w and only at one of its ends as shownat c. This form of resilient spacing members is well known in the art.The number of the magazines H22, of the pushers Sts and of the rods St13corresponds to the number of characters, which the line to be printed bymeans of the machine may have. Y23is a table for bearing the typebarsY22 and spacing members, after they have been moved out of the magazinesso as to form a line of type.

The above described arrangement is shown and more particularly describedin my co.- pending application Serial No. 628,514 tiled March 29, 1923,.

The manner of operation of the aforesaid machinery is as follows:

On each of the rods St13 a lever S1514 is moved into a positionaccording to that of the lever Stm. This is effected by means of thestriking of the key in a manner not of importance in connection with thepresent apparatus and more fully shown and described in Letters Patent1,466fl91 dated August 18, 1923. Now the wheel A2 is coupled to a sourceof power (not shown) and rotated in the direction of arrow T (Fig. l).

Hereby the eccentric portion of the groove AG engages the projection Stand moves the lever Stil, so that the wheel St2 is rot-ated and isbrought into engagement with the teeth of the wheel A2. This wheeltherefore rotates wheel S162 and moves the bar SS in the direction ofarrow R by means of parts St., and Sty The bar S255 strikes the Ymovedlevers St14a and takes them with it, whereby the pushers StG are movedin the same direction. The parts Sz?7 of each pusher enter the magazinesand each move a typebar Y21 or a spacing member out of the magazines.The typebars and spacing members rest upon the table Y23 and form thelineof type. A closing or justifying device Y1 is arranged on the saidtable. The justifying device as shown is the same as that described inthe Letters Patent 1,608,017 dated November 23,

and YG schematically represent the stepped longitudinal members morefully described in the specification of Letters Patent 1,608,- 017.These members serve for spacingl the plates, Y2,w'hich are `freelymovable, arranged on the table Y22, at a certain distance apart fromeach other in one direction of movement of the device. The movement ofthe outer plates Y8 and Y4 is effected by means of the apparatushereinafter described.

On the ratchet wheel A2 is provided a .stop A21 which can strikeaga-inst a rod Sl, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. The rod Sl runsin guides and is moved during lthe further movement of the stop A22 inthe direction of the arrow shown so, far that it assumes the positionshown in full lines. The rod S1, is provided with teeth which imesh withteethon a wheel SW The shaft of the toothed wheel So extendstransverselj,y through the machine and carries on the other side of themachine, that is to say, on the left hand ,side looking from the left inFigure 2, a similar toothed wheel notshown with which there meshes asecond rod S100 provided with teeth. The latter rod also has other teethwhich mesh with the teeth on a horizontal toothed wheel S2. On the shaftS3 of this toothed wheel `is mounted a crank arm S2 which is 'pivotcd toa rodS22. This rod S51 may be pjivoted directly to the member SG whichruns on guides and is conlnected with one outer or thrust plate Y2 ofthe closing device. In the drawing, Fig. 2 a different constructionalform is however illustra-ted in which the rod S5, is hollow. In thehollow rod S51 is slidably supported a rod S52 which is pivoted to themember SG. The rod S51 has a collar S53 while the rod S52 has a pin S52projecting on both sides. Between the members S53 and SM is located aspring S55. The member SG is provided with teeth which mesh with atoothed wheel S7 which is journaled in the guiding rail of the memberSG. On the side opposite to the member SG is arranged a rack S3 whichlikewise meshes with the toothed wheel S7 and .is rigidly connected withthe other thrust or outer plate Y3 of the closing device.

A22 is a stop following the projection A4, and is adapted' to move therod Sl out of the position shown in full lines a certain distancefurther in the direction of the arrow so that the end of the rod Sltakes up the position shown inrdotted lines. S2,1 'is a stop or tooth atthe end of a rod S12 which has a rack at the other end. This rack mesheswith a toothed wheel which is lin one piecel with the above-mentionedtoothed on the same shaft.

The method of working of the apparatus is as follows:V i

By the above-mentioned displacement of IUS lSCh

the rod Sl by the stop A41 out of the position shown dotted into theposition illustrated in full lines the toothed wheels S9 located on bothsides of the machine are r-otated and the rod S1 located on the 4lefthand side of the machine is also moved. This in turn results in rotatingthe toothed wheel S2 and with it its crank arm This movement takes placein a clockwise direction from the point of view of Figure 2 and has theresult that the member SG is moved from right to left, and, through themedium lof the toothed wheel S7, the member S8 is moved from left toright, that is to say, in the opposite direction. By this means theouter` plates Y3 and Y1 of t-he closing device Y1, ywhich werepreviously at the distance from one another denoted by 1 in Figure 2,are moved nearer together to such an ext-ent that the distance betweenthem corresponds to the distance marked 2. The Y2 plates of the closingdevice are thus moved nearer to one another and consequently the llineformed by the type bars is provisionally justified. In this position ofthe closing device the type bars are hindered in their free movabilityin the longitudinal direction and also in the transverse direction insuch a way that theycan still be displaced relatively to one another bythe aligning means Y22 which is'led away over the line and whichengagesin grooves in the ty Je bars Y21 (Fig. l) in such a way that the lineformed is aligned, but that after this aligning, during the finalclosing of the closing device which now follows, they can no longershift relatively to one another. The possibility of the type barsshifting relatively to one another during the aligning by overcoming acertain resistance has the advantage that during the aligning the typebars do not`suflier too severely. ent connection between the rods S51and S52 also renders possible a certain yielding of the closing device.

in such a way that the outer or thrust plates- Y3 'and Y,1 are broughtto the distance 3 from one another. This takes place owing to thefurther displacement of the rod S1,effected by means of the stop A12. i

The return movement of the vclosing device into the position in whichthe outer plates are at the distance l vfrom one `another is effected bythe stop A 1 1 bringing the stop S11 out of the position shown in fulllines into the lowermost position shown in dotted lines.

This movement results, owing tothe rack teeth of the rod S10, in thereversed rotation of the toothed wheel S9 and of the device associatedtherewith.

During this movement the plates Y2 are The resili-` spaced at a certaindistance apart from each other by means of 'the members YE, Y.6 :asdescribed in Letters Patent 1,608,017 above mentioned. I l

An inking device F12 may follow the aligning means Y22, preferably in.such a way that Aat least during the return 4of 4the aligning means,that is to say :after the l'closing device is finally closed, an inkingis again effected so that the inking takes place with certainty when theclosing :device holds the type bars fast in their final position.

The device for moving the aligning vmeans and the inflring vdevice inthe manner above described is shown in the arrangement `which 'is morefully described in the copending applications Serial Number 628,514filedMarch '29, 1923 and Ser. No. 114,783 rfiled June 9, 1926.' The aligningdevice Y22 and the inking device F12 are shown to .be connected witheach other and movably arranged on two guide-rods Y24 and Y25. Theymovement is effected by means of a flexible member F2, which isconnected to the part Y26 surrounding the rod Y25. The vends of theflexible member F9 (a chain or the like) are woundupontwo drums FR inopposite glerections in such manner that if the drums fa e'rotated inthe same sense, kthe flexible member is wound up y'by one drum andvsimultaneously unwound from the other drum. Hereby the flexible memberis `reciprocated `and moves the part 'Y2G to and fro. The drums arefastened-onthe ends of a rotatable shaft F20, upon which a toothedwheelF21is mounted. F1 isla disc provided'with a cam-groove TF2 and fastenedupon a yshaft F crossing `the machine. On the other end of theshaft 'F10a-toothed wheel D2 is mounted which `has a shape similar Ato thatdescribed with respect Zto the aforesaid wheel S752 and adapted toberotated by wheel A2 inthe same manner as `wheel St2. F4 is a leverpivoted in the vmachine at'F5 Vand carrying a toothed segment F6, whichengages a toothed wheel F7. fThe wheel F7 is provided with two rings oftee'th, one of them being in engagement with the teeth vof the wheelF81. F2 `is 'a projectionor roller arranged upon lever FlVL kandengaging the groove F2. F11 are rollers mountedin the machine in amanner :not shown, which guide `-the flexible member F9. yThe rotationof wheel 4D2 imparts a vswinging motion to the lever F4 and effectsthereby a similar movement of the shaft F;

I claim 1. The art vof aligning type carriers, which comprisesrestricting 'the movability. aligning the type carriers while sorestricted and then locking the carriers aftertheyhaveibeen aligned. v f

2. The art of aligning type carriers, Awhich comprises compressing thetype carriers to carriers while so li'vestricted and then furtherpressingthe carriers together tolock them byfshortening the set-up line.

3. In a type setting machine, type carriers forming a line of type,means compressing the carriers to restrict their movability, means foraligning the carriers and means for locking the carriers after they havebeen aligned. l

4. In a type-setting machine, type carriers having a straight line oftype therein, means to receive the carriers, means to compress thecarriers while on said receiving means to frictionally restrain theirymovability, means to align the carriers while so held-and means tooperate the compressing means to lock the aligned carriers.

5. In a type-setting machine,'type carriers and spacing memberscooperating therewith, a pair of closing plates between which thecarriers'and spacing members are set up, a crank, a connecting rodconnected to one plate, means operated by one plate to impart motion inan opposite direction to the other plate, means to rotate said crank adefinite distance to close the spacing plates against carriers andspacingmembers, to restrict their movability, means to align thecarriers and means to thereafter additionally rotate said crank to causesaid plate to lock the carriers. l

6. In a type-setting machine, type carriers, spacing means cooperatingtherewith, a closing plate cooperating with the type carriers andspacing means set up, a crank, a connecting rod between said crank andplate, means to rotate said crank a definite distance to cause saidplate to Compress the carriers and spacing members to frictionallyrestrict the movabilityof the carriers, means to align the carrierswhile so held, and means to additionally rotate said crank and therebycause the plate to move into locking position for locking the carriersand members, and yielding means forsaid connecting rod to permit'it toslightly vary its effective length.

7. In a type-setting machine, carriers for type arranged ina straightline, spacing members for the carriers, a pair of closing plates betweenwhich said carriers and members are set up, means operated from oneplate to impart equal and opposite motion to the other' plate, a crank,a telescoping connecting rod connecting said crank and one of theplates, a spring included between the parts oit said connecting rod,means vto rotate said crank a definite distance to close Athe platesagainst the carriers and spacing and locking the carriers and members,said mechanism including a crank and connecting rod, mechanism for'partially rotating said crank and then imparting an additional movement,for locking said carriers and members, a toothed wheel, a rack engagingsaid wheel, a wheel having two stops thereon for successively movingsaid Wheel in its operating movement, a second toothed wheel connectedto the first toothed wheel, a rack for said second toothed wheel, a stopen the latter rack arranged in the path of said two stops for returningthe first, toothed wheel to its initial position.

9. In a type-setting machine, type carriers and spacing memberscooperating therewith, closing members between which the carriers andspacing members are set up, means to move said spacing members tocompress the set up carriers and spacing members to restrict theirmovability, means to align the carriers while so held and thereafterlock Vthe carriers and spacing members, and inking means moving inunison with ing device.

10. In a type-setting machine, type carriers forming a line of type,resilient spacing members between each` two groups of type-carriersforming a word of the line of type, means compressing the carriers torestrict their movability, means for aligning said alignthe carriers andmeans for locking the carriers by shortening the line of type after' thecarriers have been aligned.

ll. In a type-setting machine, type earriers forming a line of type,means for bringing the type-carriers into printing position, spacingmembers provided with resilient means on a side thereof and adapted tobe inserted between each two groups of type carriers forming a word,means for receiving the carriers, means compressing the carriers torestrict their movability, means for aligning the carriers and means forlocking the carriers after they have been aligned, the said means forreceiving the carriers being adapted to be moved back for spacing thetype carriers to definite distances apart from each other.

12. In a device according to claim 3, inking means moving in unison withsaid aligning device.

13. In a device according to claim 3, an inking device adapted to bemoved over' the set up line of type, and means for moving the inkingdevice in unison with the said aligning means, said inking device beingadapted to follow the saidaligning means and to move over the set-up andaligned line after having been justified.

14. In a type-setting machine, type carriers 'forming a line of type,means compressing the carriers to restrict their movaat a definitedistance in the direction of rotation of the wheel, the one projectionbeing adapted to move the means compressing the carriers, the otherprojection being adapted to move the means for locking the carriers.

l5. In a type-setting machine, type car-v riers. and spacing membersco-operating therewith, a pair of closing members between which thecarriers and spacing members are set up, means operatedvby one f thesaid closing members to impart motion in an opposite direction to theother closing member, means for moving the one closing member a definitedistance to close the closing members against carriers and spacingmembers to restrict their movabllity, means to align the carriers andmeans to thereafterr additionally move the means for moving the oneclosing member to cause the closing members to lock the carriers.

16. In a device according to claim 3, a yielding member in said meansfor compressing and locking the carriers. n

17. In justifying apparatus for type-setting machines, type carriers,means for restricting the movability of the carriers, means forthereafter aligning the restricted carriers and meansv for justifyingthe line after the alignment of the carriers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. I

ARNOLD AUGUST EGLI..

